Hope's First
by 10Blue10
Summary: Hope's First... is a collection of drabbles involving the Doctor, Anna and their daughter Hope from my story 'Beautiful in Blue'. As the title implies, it is a collection of Hope's 'firsts', from her first words all the way to her first regeneration. Please read and review! Now with new cover image from Google Images; I know the little girl is blond, but it was the best I could do.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

A/N: Okay! I'm rebooting this story, with four 'firsts' in each chapter, except possibly the last two. Whereas before Hope would have been younger than twelve, in this version she will begin as an infant and it will end with her as a young adult. Also, you'll have to decide for yourselves how old she is in each drabble. Just remember that these are chronological.

Hope's First Words 

Anna sat on the king size bed she stared with the Doctor, smiling down at her daughter. The Doctor was out there, saving the world as usual, and Anna had stayed home to look after their daughter. They'd talked about getting a babysitter, but never actually done so.

Hope was kicking her little feet in the air and gurgling. She babbled happily at her mother, who cooed and tickled Hope's tummy. Hope squealed and giggled. "Mamamawaba" Hope babbled, instinctively sending feelings of thirstiness and the taste of milk through the mental bond she shared with her mother. Anna picked Hope up and carried her to the kitchen, where she set about filling a bottle with milk. Hope watched her from the high seat.

When the bottle of milk was ready, Anna handed it to Hope, who grabbed it eagerly. "You are thirsty, aren't you?" Anna chuckled, as Hope gulped down the milk. "Slow down darling, you might choke". In answer, Hope aimed the bottle at her mother and squeezed. Anna spluttered, and wiped herself down with a tea towel as Hope laughed uproariously. "Do you think this is funny?" she asked, wagging her finger at Hope, which only made the little girl giggle even more.

"You're lucky you're so hard to stay cross with" sighed Anna, stroking her daughters soft brown curls. Then she turned away to make herself a cup of tea. She was just picking the hot mug up off the counter when she heard Hope say "So-ree". She nearly dropped it.

She stared at Hope in surprise, and asked "Did you say something?" Hope blinked up at her. "Darling, did you say something?" repeated Anna. "So-ree" Hope repeated. Anna beamed, and scooped her daughter out of the chair, cuddling her close. "Oh, you brilliant little girl" she said happily. "It's okay, I forgive you – oh, just wait until your daddy hears you talking! He'll be so proud".

When the Doctor returned, Anna and Hope were waiting for him in the console. He smiled broadly at the sight of his wife and daughter, striding over to Anna. He gave her a kiss and lifted Hope from her arms to give her a cuddle. "So, what have you two been up to whilst I was gone?" he inquired as he cuddled his daughter.

"It's wonderful, Thief; Hope said her first word today!" Anna informed him happily. The Doctor's eyes widened, and he looked down at Hope. "You spoke? Go on, do it again" he encouraged. Hope stuck her thumb in her mouth. "What exactly did she say?" the Doctor asked Anna, who explained, "She squirted me with milk from her bottle, and about a minute later she said 'sorry'".

Despite both her parents encouragement, Hope refused to utter another word. The Doctor decided that the only way to get her to speak would be to 'recreate the circumstances' of her first word. So when it was time for dinner, Anna filled another bottle with orange juice (whilst the Doctor mashed up a banana in a plastic bowl), and warned her daughter not to drink it too quickly, just as she had before.

Instead of squirting the juice all over her mother, Hope messed about with her mashed up banana, and threw a clump of them at her father. Once again, she found this hilarious. "Hope! Now look here young lady, you can squirt milk all over your mum, but you don't ever throw bananas!" the Doctor told her sternly. Hope stopped giggling. "So-ree, da" she said quietly; which of course, made the Doctor forget all about his messy shirt. "Well done, Hope!" he enthused. They celebrated that night with orange juice and, yes, more mashed bananas.

Hope's First Steps 

Anna had gone shopping, leaving the Doctor to look after Hope. He was sitting opposite his daughter at the table, holding up cards with pictures on them. "Say, 'banana'" he encouraged. "Ba-ma-na" said Hope. The Doctor shrugged. "Close enough. Okay, now say 'dada'" he said next, pointing at himself. Hope pointed at him and happily announced "Dodo". The Doctor shook his head. "No dear, say 'da-da'. Hope stuck her tongue out. "Dodo" she insisted stubbornly.

"Your daddy is not a dodo…okay, fine. Call me a dodo if you want to. Can you say, err, bowtie? Say, 'bowtie'". Hope squirmed in her high seat, and banged her fists on the tray. "Play!" she demanded.

So the Doctor took her to the nursery, which was painted to look the solar system, and was full of toys. Hope crawled over to a pile of multi-coloured bricks and began to stack them to make a tower. When the Doctor asked if she wanted some help, Hope threw a brick at him. He sat on a stool to the side and watched his little architect at work.

Soon, Hope had stacked nine blocks. She looked around and spotted the brick she'd thrown at her dad. Hope crawled over and picked up the yellow block. She looked from the wooden brick, to her tower, and back again. She got one foot under her, and then the other…and stood up on wobbly legs.

The Doctor watched with bated breath, as Hope took first one, then two staggering steps towards her tower. She made all the way to the tower, placed the last brick on top; and promptly knocked the whole thing over. "Ha, ha!" the Doctor laughed gleefully, picking Hope up and swinging her around. Without a moment's hesitation, he carried Hope out of the TARDIS and across the street to the supermarket. He found Anna by the checkout.

"Doctor, what are you doing here with Hope?" she asked, uncomfortably aware of everyone staring at them. He grinned at her, saying "Just watch this, its brilliant". He set Hope down, and crouched about eight steps away from her, holding out his hands. "Come on Hope, come to dada!" he encouraged her. At first, Hope merely stood there looking confused. The Doctor sighed and tried again. "Come to…dodo…" he said, resisting the urge to glare at his sniggering wife.

This time, Hope _did _totter forwards, a whole six steps before falling down again. Her gleeful parents hugged their daughter, whilst the shoppers and cashiers that had witnessed what had transpired applauded and congratulated them. "Get the shopping, will you dear?" Anna said lightly as she carried Hope back to the TARDIS. "Dodo shop!" crowed Hope, giggling. The Doctor gaped at them, then looked at the shopping, and sighed. Dodo, indeed.

Hope's First Planet 

It had taken a while for them to feel comfortable with the idea, but the Doctor and Anna had decided that Hope was old enough to visit a new planet. She was walking and talking much better now; and most of her words nowadays were "Wanna go outside!", and most of her steps took her towards the doors. They made sure to land on the safest planet they could think of. Goodness knew the three of them were magnets for trouble, but Hope would always be with one or both of them.

Thus did they find themselves, wrapped up against the cold, about to step out onto the Ood Sphere. "Look at all the snow!" Hope yelled in delight, trotting out into all the white stuff. The Doctor hurried to keep up and keep an eye on her, even though her TARDIS blue snowsuit stood out like a sore thumb against the whiteness of the planet. Hope scooped up a handful of snow and flung it at her dad, before running off.

It wasn't long before a snowball fight broke out, and Anna took Hope's side. "Why must you attack me?" the Doctor whined as he was pelted with snowballs. Hope rolled about in the snow and made snow angels.

Soon, they came upon a city, with buildings carved out of the ice and rock. Hope stared up at the towers and arches in awe. "That's the City of the Singing Crystals, Hope. Isn't it beautiful?" asked her dad. Hope smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "I love you, daddy" she murmured, hugging his leg. He crouched down and pulled her into a hug. "I love you too, my Hope".

Hope's First Alien 

The Doctor and his family were met by Ood Sigma at the outskirts of the city. "Greetings, Doctor. Your wife and child are also welcome" he said pleasantly. Hope ran up to the alien and beamed. "Talking spaghetti!" she announced to her parents, pointing. The Doctor gave the unperturbed Ood an apologetic glance. "No darling, he's not spaghetti. This is Ood Sigma, an old friend of mine" he explained to Hope.

Sigma led the way through the city. "Does this visit have a purpose?" he inquired politely. The Doctor shrugged and answered, "not really, we just wanted to come somewhere…relatively safe for Hope's first new planet", he gestured to his daughter, who was running about with several young Ood children. "The Doctor and I are a little over-protective of Hope; she's unique, and there are people out there who would harm her…not that we'd ever let them" explained Anna.

"I understand. If you would both excuse me" said Sigma, before moving deep into the tunnels of the city. Anna tucked her hand under the Doctor's arm, as they watched Hope playing. He smiled and gave her a kiss, pretending to get his lips stuck on hers. They broke up after an exclamation of disgust from Hope, who was pulling faces and chucking snow at them both.

When Ood Sigma returned, he asked the Doctor and Anna to bring Hope to the council chamber. "I have told the Elders of your daughter, and they agree that she is unique and worthy of protection. Know then, that the Ood will always be in her service, should she need us" Sigma revealed, much to Hope's parents delight. "Thank you, Sigma. And thank you to the Elders, of course, for their generosity" the Doctor replied.

"There is more" Sigma continued, "we would like to give your daughter a song, a lullaby if you will, should she allow it".

"I don't see why she wouldn't" said Anna, looking around for Hope, who was sitting a little ways off, drawing patterns in the dust with her finger. "Hope, darling. Come here please" she called. Hope stood up and walked over. Anna knelt down at her level and smiled. "Hey, listen. The Ood want to sing a song for you, a special song that only you'll be able to hear. Won't that be nice?"

Hope hesitated, and then shook her head. "Ah, come on Hope. You'll like hearing it, I promise" said her father, as he picked up the squirming Time Tot and set her down in the middle of the circle of Ood Elders. Then he reluctantly moved out of the circle, even though he hated to leave his daughter there looking so confused and little scared.

But that distress soon melted from her innocent face as the Ood began to sing. It was peculiar, because normally the Doctor could hear the Ood's telepathic song, but this time he could hear nothing. Hope, of course, could hear every note in her mind. It sounded pretty, like her mummy's lullabies, and the twinkling sound the stars made if she listened really hard. When the final strains faded into her subconscious, Hope felt all fuzzy, the way she did after a bath when she was in her fluffy yellow dressing gown and being cuddled.

"Mmm…pretty music" she yawned, eyes drooping. The Ood moved aside to let the Doctor pass. He lifted Hope into his arms and kissed her on the forehead. "C'mon Anna, let's take her home. I think that's enough for one day" he decided.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Hope's First Bike 

"I'm gonna get you!" crowed a young boys voice, as the sound of thudding little feet echoed through the house. He cornered his quarry in the corner of his parents' bedroom. "You're an alien, I'm gonna lock you up" announced Anthony. "You'll have to catch me first. Maybe I'll lock you up instead, Anty!" replied Hope, dodging past her friend and sprinting down the hall. She scampered down the stairs two at a time and fled to the living room.

Herself and Anthony's mothers were sitting on the settee, chatting, when Hope rushed in with her face flushed from running. "You didn't see me!" she warned them, before diving behind an armchair. Anna and Amy looked at one another and shrugged. Kids. "Anthony, how many times do I have to tell you, no running in the house" Amy scolded lightly as her sandy haired son hurried in, hot on Hope's tail.

Anthony ignored his mum and called out to Hope. "I know you're in here, Hope, I saw you. Where did she go?" he asked the adults, but they just made zipped lip motions. Just then the Doctor poked his head in the door. "Hey, Anthony, your dad and I have something to show you and Hope outside" he told the little boy.

"I don't know where Hope is. We're playing Torchwood and she's the alien, so I gotta catch her" Anthony told the Doctor. It was at this moment that a sneeze emanated from behind the armchair. Anthony marched over to investigate. "Found you! Your dad wants to show us something, come on" said Anthony, taking Hope's hand and leading her to the Doctor.

He grinned and took them outside to the lawn, where Rory was waiting, and holding two small bikes upright. "Ta-da! We just bought them, me and Rory; we figured you're both old enough to ride two wheels now. No more silly trikes!" the Doctor said enthusiastically. Hope's eyes lit up, and she ran forwards to investigate the nearest bike. It was bright sky blue, with a white saddle and rubber handles. The other bike was red and yellow.

Rory and the Doctor placed the bikes at opposite sides of the small lawn and set their children on the saddles. Anna and Amy came out to watch. "Okay, now the most important thing is learning to balance" explained Rory. "All you've gotta do is push yourself along with your feet as fast as you can, and then lift them up and roll. Oh, and remember to squeeze the brakes – gently! - before you hit the fence" added the Doctor.

Hope rolled her eyes. "Come on daddy, it's not like its rocket science" she told him, placing her feet on the pedals and pushing off. She made it to the fence without falling, braked, and looked over her shoulder. "C'mon, Anty, it's easy" she smiled. With a determined look on his face, Anthony pushed the pedals and rolled forwards. "I'm doing it! I'm doing…woah!" he yelped in alarm as he toppled sideways.

He clambered back up to his feet and brushed himself down. "That's not easy at all! How'd you do it so well?" he asked Hope suspiciously. "I'm a Time Tot, remember? I've got better balance and reactions than humans" she explained airily, before begging her parents to take her to the park. One small backyard was not a challenge, after all.

Hope's First Swim

The scent of chlorine and the sound of splashing, screaming kids emanated through Aqua World, a planet sized water park in the Nigellan Cluster. There were flume rides that were basically vertical, giant walk through aquariums, swimming pools the length and breadth of a hundred Olympic pools arranged side by side, other pools of every shape and sizes and bouncy castles with slides that floated on the water.

Hope was there with her parents and her friends; Anthony Pond, Lorna Miller, Sam Daley and Tanya Woods. They'd all been collected in the TARDIS and taken for a day out at Aqua World to celebrate Sam's birthday. "Last one in is an Adipose!" Sam hollered.

Cheering and laughing, the children rushed up to the edge of the pool. Sam jumped in. Anthony jumped in. Lorna and Tanya slid in. Hope looked down into the water and gulped. "It looks deep" she said warily. "It's just the light refraction, love" said the Doctor, sitting on the edge of the pool besides her. "This is the shallow end, it's only ten feet deep" he added, pointing at a sign on the side of the pool.

"So I'll just sink ten feet, that's comforting" she grumbled, and her dad laughed. "Oh, Hope. You won't sink, I promise. I'll look after you" he smiled, patting her thick chocolate curls. He slid into the water and beckoned to her. "That's it, in you come" he smiled, holding her around the waist. She was wearing blue bathing suit covered in little yellow fishes, and TARDIS blue armbands. She looked adorable, in his opinion.

He placed his hands under her stomach and chest, supporting her from underneath. "Okay, now kick your legs- not that hard!" he said in alarm as she splashed him. Hope giggled and he pulled a funny face at her, making her laugh more. "You know how a frog swims? Try doing that, with your arms and legs" he suggested. Hope tucked her legs in and spread them out, pulled them back in again. She moved her arms in circles. Her eyes were screwed shut and her chin was pointed high in the air, away from the water.

Her dad showed her how to scoop the water with her cupped hands, and how to kick her legs and save energy rather than waste it. He walked from one side of the pool to the other, holding Hope up. First he dropped one hand, and then he dropped the other. Hope continued on, doing an uneven breaststroke, her eyes still shut. "Hope? You're swimming" he told her.

She gasped and opened her eyes. "I…I'm swimming! I'm really swimming!" she grinned, paddling determinedly towards her friends. "Hey guys, look, I'm swimming! I did it! I swam!"

The Doctor smiled as he watched his daughter play with her friends, treading water and throwing beach balls about. "That's my brave girl" he said softly, smiling.

Hope's First Trip To The Future

Hope skipped into the console room, a wide smile wreathed about her face. Her parents followed her, beaming at their daughter. "Right then, Hopey-Wopey, pick a time, pick a place!" the Doctor said enthusiastically. She grinned and stood on tiptoes, clinging to the edge of the console. "I wanna go to the future!" she laughed, "I wanna see flying cars and rocket ships!"

The Doctor bowed and pulled the dematerialisation lever. "First trip to the future coming up, mademoiselle; setting the co-ordinates to New Earth, the year five billion and twenty six. That far enough into the future for you?" he asked Hope, who giggled and nodded. They materialised, and Hope scampered over to the door. "Hold on, young lady" Anna said warningly, "environment checks".

"Oh yeah, right", Hope stuck her head out of the door and said bluntly, "it's sunny". She walked out onto the grass, sniffing at the air. She could smell apples everywhere. "It's the grass" explained her dad when he saw her sniffing curiously, "apple grass". He plucked a few stems and held them to her nose. She licked the stems, and pulled a face. It might smell like apples, but it tasted like, well, grass. "Daddy, why is grass green?" she inquired.

The Doctor led her through the park, Anna following close behind. "Grass is a plant, and plants are full of chlorophyll. That's the substance that allows them to photosynthesise" he explained. "But why is chlorophyll green? Why not orange or yellow?" asked Hope. "Simple, chlorophyll reflects the green part of the spectrum and absorbs the other colours".

They walked through the city of New, New York. Hope rode on her dad's shoulders and asked questions nineteen the dozen. "Daddy, the mural in my bedroom has red grass. That's you and mummy's home planet, isn't it?" she asked. The Doctor's breath hitched. "Y-yes, that's Gallifrey" he replied, and cast around for a distraction, anything to take Hope's mind off the subject. Anna was doing the same.

"How come we never go there?" Hope asked innocently. The Doctor spotted an ice cream parlour, much to his relief. "Hey, Hope. There's an ice cream shop just there, d'you wanna get some?" he asked, and luckily she was very eager, naturally. The three of them went inside and pored over the multitude of choices of ice cream and toppings. Hope had a raspberry ripple sundae with chocolate sauce and a wafer, the Doctor had a rocky road banana split and Anna had a blueberry scoop.

For a while, as Hope tackled her ice cream, she didn't mention Gallifrey. The Doctor prayed it would stay that way, but of course fate didn't smile on him. "Daddy? Why don't we ever go to Gallifrey?" Hope asked quietly. The Doctor tensed and Anna gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. He had no idea what to say to Hope…all he knew is that Rule One had never been more important.

"The…the thing is, darling, Gallifrey isn't there anymore" he said sadly. "You remember when I told you about those nasty Daleks?" he asked her and she nodded. "Well, the Time Lords and the Daleks went to war, and it became so dangerous that Gallifrey had to be put inside a sort of bubble, that no-one could get in or out of" he explained. "To protect it?" asked Hope. The Doctor's hearts constricted. "Yes, to protect it" he lied.

Satisfied, Hope returned to her sundae, and the Doctor poked at his split half-heartedly. His beloved daughter, so innocent and curious; he never wanted her to suffer, never wanted her to doubt him or feel afraid. She could never know what he did.

Hope's First Trip To The Past 

It was Hope's turn once again to choose the destination for that day. "I want to go to the past, this time" she informed her dad. "Right-o! Whereabouts in the past d'you want to go? We can go see the dinosaurs, the Vikings – Shakespeare!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger at Hope and spinning around on one foot. "How about paying old William a visit?" he suggested eagerly.

Hope thought about it and then nodded. "Okay, daddy, let's go!" she said eagerly. The Doctor grinned as he and Anna flew the TARDIS to Jacobean England (he wasn't foolish enough to land during Queen Bess' reign). They landed in an alley in a busy street; people were singing and dancing, playing drums and flutes. "Oh, a carnival!" the Doctor said in delight; he loved a party.

Then he realised Hope was no longer standing beside him and quickly scanned the crowd, spotting her weaving through peoples legs and down the street. "Excuse me…oops, sorry…excuse me..."; he caught up with Hope outside a butchers and scooped her up off the ground. "I'm disappointed, Hope, I've told you a million times not to wander off" he scolded.

"Actually, it's only been six hundred and fifty four times" she replied, before pointing down the street; "besides, I was going to the theatre. Where else would we find Shakespeare" she explained. The Doctor craned his neck and spotted the Globe Theatre in the near distance. "Yes, well, you still shouldn't have wandered off. What would your mum and I do if something happened to you?"

Hope shrugged. "We'd be very sad, that's what. Now, I've no idea where your mother is, but I'm sure she- what?" he asked, noticing his daughter's raised eyebrow. "So, it's bad if you don't know where I am, but not if you don't know where mum is?" she questioned. "Yes, because you are a child and need to be looked after, whereas your mum is an adult and can look after herself. C'mon, we're in the way – let's go see a play!"

They made their way to the Globe Theatre, and between all the shoving and being shoved by the crowds, found them right next to Anna. "Hello, mummy!" Hope said cheerfully. "Hello, darling" Anna smiled at her daughter and her husband. "It's okay, it's _The Tempest" _she murmured in answer to the Doctor's unspoken question, _is the play suitable for Hope? _

Hope scrambled up onto his shoulder to get a better view of the stage. The Doctor supported her with one arm and twined the fingers of his other one with Anna's. He smiled softly. Just a lovely day out with the family…oops, he'd probably jinxed it now. Oh well.


	3. Chapter 3

oDisclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Chapter Three 

A/N: I forgot to mention this last chapter, but Hope's first trips to the future and the past were the first trips where she chose to go to the future and the past. It still counts…sort of.

These four chapters will take place mainly on Earth or in the TARDIS.

Hope's First House

After a particularly harrowing encounter with the Cybermen, the Doctor made a hard decision; to leave Hope and Anna on Earth. He discussed it with Anna that night, and she agreed on the condition he find a companion. "I won't have you wandering about the universe alone again" she insisted, kissing him.

Hope's parents made the arrangements, bought a house not too far from the Pond residence. They agreed that Anna and Hope would remain on Earth for three years; when Hope was nine years old, she'd be fast enough to keep up with them, but still small enough to hide. The Doctor helped them move in, and then came the hardest part; saying goodbye.

"Daddy, don't go!" Hope whined, tugging at his trousers. He pulled her into a hug. "Oh, Hope. I'd stay if I could. But I've gotta keep the universe safe, for when you come back" he told her. Hope frowned stubbornly. "Why do I have to stay on Earth? It's boring" she grumbled. "Sweetheart, you're only six" Anna reminded her. "And you're the smartest, bravest six year old ever, but it's still too dangerous out there for you".

Hope sniffed and looked at her dad with teary eyes. "You will come back, won't you?" she asked. The Doctor kissed his daughter on the forehead and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Hope, I swear I will come back. I might not come back in five minutes, but I will _always _come back" he promised. He hugged her for a long time, and kissed Anna, and finally tore himself away. He waved to them from the door of the TARDIS, parked on the opposite side of the street.

Anna held Hope on her hip as they waved the Doctor goodbye. "Will we ever see him again?" asked Hope. "Of course we will, sweetheart. Here, why don't you explore the house whilst I fix dinner. How does chicken casserole sound?"

Hope wandered through the three bedroomed flat, investigating every nook and cranny. By the end of her exploration, she'd collected one pound forty five in pennies, discovered a cubby hole in the utility behind the washing machine, and worked out how to reach the biscuit jar in the kitchen cupboard. She sat on her bed, hugging a toy alien she'd won at a market fair on Deonis IV, and sighed. She missed her dad. She missed home.

Hope's First Day At School

Hope was rather nervous. She didn't know why; after all, it was only primary school. She'd seen much scarier things out there in space, and she'd be smarter than everyone there. "Now remember darling" Anna cautioned her daughter, "we've got to blend in whilst we're on Earth. So try not to act _too _smart; or too much like a Smart Alec, either. You behave yourself, young lady!" she warned playfully.

She was going to school with her best friend, Anthony. As they walked into the classroom, Hope felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at the teacher. "Hello, dear, you must be the new girl. I'm Mrs Carter" she introduced herself. "I'm Hope Smith" replied the young Time Tot. "Just wait here and I'll introduce you to the class" said Mrs Carter, before straightening up. She called the chattering class for attention by ringing a little bell.

"Girls, boys, we have a new student joining us today. This is Hope Smith; she and her mother Anna just moved here from…Leadworth, was it? Just like Anthony's parents" explained Mrs Carter. Anthony waved Hope into an empty seat beside him, and she went to sit down, grinning gratefully at him.

They started with maths; Mrs Carter handed out worksheets covered in simple sums. Two minutes later, Hope said "Mrs Carter?" Anthony poked her in the shoulder and hissed, "You gotta raise your hand!" Hope blushed and raised her hand. "Yes, Hope?" inquired the teacher. "Um, can I have a new worksheet, please? I've finished this one". Surprised, Mrs Carter gave her another, slightly harder worksheet. She finished that one in five minutes.

Her mother and Amy picked her and Anthony up from school, and they walked back to the houses a few blocks away. Hope talked non-stop about the teachers and the lessons and the other kids. "And this girl, Cassie, she picked dare, and Ant told her to eat a bug and she _did, _and it was gross, and then after break we did science and it was _so_ easy…"

Anthony tried to avoid his mum's eyes, who didn't seem very pleased that he'd been encouraging other children to devour small invertebrates.

Hope's First Old Companion 

Rory was in his office at the Children's Home, in his element as the Home's nurse. He heard a knock on the door, and called "come in!" A young African woman entered, and smiled at him. "Hello, I'm Dr Martha Jones. You must be Dr Williams?" Rory nodded and shook Martha's hand. "Yes, how can I help you?" he asked politely.

"Well you see, doctor"- Martha began, but Rory interjected, "Please, call me Rory". Martha nodded and continued, "My husband Mickey and I…well, we'd like to foster a child. We heard about the Something New charity from a newspaper article, and decided we wanted to come and have a look. Mickey's actually at work, at the moment; he has a part time job working with computers" she explained.

Rory took her to meet the children. Amy and Anna were there, watching Hope perform some magic tricks she'd learned out of a book. The kids and adults applauded as she guessed the right card for the fifth time in a row. Rory led Martha over to introduce her to his wife and son. "This is Amy, and our boy Anthony, our best friend's wife Anna and that's her daughter Hope". He turned to the women and explained, "Martha here's looking to foster a child".

"That's wonderful. It's so nice to meet you, Martha" smiled Amy. "Yes, it's lovely to meet you properly" added Anna, smiling mischievously. Martha looked at her in confusion. "Have we met before?" she asked, bewildered. "In a way. Tell me, Martha, does the word TARDIS mean anything to you?" inquired Anna. Martha's eyes widened as she realised… "is he here?"

Amy suggested they have a cup of coffee and tell Martha everything. "Are you really okay with staying on Earth, Anna?" asked the former companion, still reeling a bit from the revelation that the Doctor had married his TARDIS and fathered a child with her. "Believe me, Hope keeps me occupied plenty. She takes after her dad so much...I do hope he's okay, though. And not alone; it's ridiculous, I must be the only wife in the universe who wants my husband to come home with a pretty young girl on his arm" Anna said and the others laughed.

"My name's Hope. Who are you?" asked a curious voice. Martha looked down to find a young girl with a mop of dark curls and round blue eyes peering up at her. "I'm Martha Jones. I used to travel with your dad" she explained, and Hope smiled widely. "Can you tell me about it?" she asked, scrambling up onto Martha's lap. She smiled, and said, "Well, it all started at the Royal Hope Hospital, when the Judoon used a H2O Scoop to take us all the way to the moon…"

Hope's First Babysitter 

The moment she heard the familiar whoosh of the TARDIS, Hope jumped up from the settee and ran out to the small yard. "Daddy!" she shouted. She hadn't seen him in five months; the Doctor had turned up every so often during the two years she'd lived on Earth, but his visits weren't exactly regular. Her father stepped out of the time machine and grinned at her, picking her up and swinging her around. "Hey, there's my special sweetheart! Did you miss me?" he asked.

Hope beamed at him. "Of course I did? Did you bring me a present?" she asked, pushing her hand into his pocket. He set her down on the grass, chuckling. "Is that all I am to you, a toy dispenser? Actually, I have brought someone to meet you. Clara, come on out" he called back towards the TARDIS. A young woman with long brown hair, wearing a red dress, walked out. "Hello, you must be Hope. Your dad's told me all about you" she smiled.

"Hope, this is Clara Oswald. She's gonna be your babysitter!" explained the Doctor. Hope stared with wide eyes at Hope, and then turned and fled. She dodged around her mother, who came out of the house and looked back at her in concern. "What's the matter with Hope?" she asked the Doctor, who merely shrugged. "I don't know, she just ran off. Hello, you" he smiled, pulling her into his arms and giving her a kiss.

Then he introduced her to Clara. _Thief, I've met her before _she said telepathically. _I know, she's Oswin, but she's not Oswin, and she was Victorian London too, and she died! _He replied. Clara was polite and friendly, but there was something about her that made Anna's skin crawl. "Would you excuse me? I ought to check on Hope" she said, leaving as quickly as she could. "I don't think your wife and kid like me much" Clara sighed. "Nonsense! C'mon, I'll give you a tour".

Anna found Hope in her bedroom. "Hope, love, is anything wrong?" she asked. Hope pouted and said "Daddy's new friend is awful, mummy. She makes me feel weird". Anna sat down on the bed besides her daughter and put an arm around her. "Yes, I agree there's something strange about her. I can't help feeling like I've seen her many times before. But you know, just because Clara makes you feel uncomfortable doesn't mean she's awful".

Hope gave her mother a doubtful glance. "Okay, listen. One of your father's friends is a fixed point in time, and I can't get near him without feeling hollow and sick. Jack Harkness is a brave, amusing person, and a good friend of mine. You see, I learned not to let his strangeness stop me from getting to know him. All I'm saying is, give Clara a chance. You might come to like her" advised Anna. Hope fidgeted and sighed sulkily. "Okay, mummy" she said finally.


	4. Hope, Trust and Love Part One

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

A/N: The next two chapters are a bonus 'fanfic-within-a-fanfic' as it were, involving Hope's reaction to her father's regeneration. Obviously it will be set after the Christmas episode in which Matt Smith regenerates. :(

Please leave a review, and possibly one for 'Vworp On' as well. My friend is helping me write that one and we could both do with some positive feedback!

I hope you enjoy, and without further ado:

Hope, Trust and Love – Part One

The world had been saved once again, and the twelfth Doctor finally had a moment to breathe. He'd been so busy these past few hours; on top of recovering from a rather violent regeneration, he'd had to save the Earth (again), with the help of Anna and Clara. As for Hope…this was the first time in her life that his daughter had experienced regeneration. He'd been sure to explain the process to her, to try and make her understand that he'd still be her dad no matter what. It killed him to think of the heartbreak in her eyes when he began to change.

He made his way to Hope's bedroom on the TARDIS, and knocked on the faux mahogany door. "Hope, sweetheart? It's me. Can I come in?" he asked. There was no reply. The Doctor tried the handle and, finding it unlocked, pushed open the door and peered inside.

Hope was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at her lap. The Doctor came and sat down next to her, where he could see that she held a framed photograph of his eleventh self, Anna and herself together on the beaches of Barcelona. A tear tracked its way down Hope's cheek. The Doctor reached out to wipe it away, and sighed sadly when she flinched away. "Go away" she sniffed.

"Hope, please. Don't shut me out" he said quietly. She shook her head and scrambled further away from him. "Go away! I want my dad, not you" she insisted, and every syllable stabbed him in the hearts. "But I am your dad. I don't understand Hope; I thought you understood regeneration" said the Doctor. He nodded at the photo. "I remember that trip. You begged for ages for a beach, but we kept ending up in cold places instead. And we walked down the promenade, eating frozen yoghurt, remember? You rode on my shoulders" he reminisced.

"I rode on my dad's shoulders. Just because you have his memories doesn't mean you're him" Hope insisted sulkily. The Doctor was at a loss what to do. "But I am, I promise. You know, you never used to be this suspicious. What will it take for you to trust me?" he questioned.

Hope looked him right in the eye. "I've seen loads of scary stuff" she began, "and my dad was always there for me, but now he's gone. I'm never gonna see him again, the father I know…and you…you just want me to call you dad and hug you and love you like nothing's happened?" she asked, her voice breaking as she burst into tears.

The Doctor drew his daughter into a comforting embrace, and she stiffened. "I'm sorry, darling" he murmured, dropping a kiss onto her dark curls. "I won't ask you to pretend nothing's happened, I just want you to trust me. I want a chance to prove that even though I'm not the same man as before, I still love you with all my hearts".

Hope bit her lip thoughtfully. "Okay" she said at last, "I guess I can try. But I've got my eye on you" she warned, and he nodded. "Okay, and thank you. I'll leave you alone for a bit, give you some space. Your mother and I will be the console room if you need us, okay?" he asked. She sniffled again and nodded.

The Doctor returned to the console room, where Anna was checking that everything on the console was in good working order. When she saw the Doctor, she smiled fondly and walked over to kiss him tenderly. "Hmm, seven out of ten I think" she said teasingly. The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Only seven?" he asked indignantly. Anna shrugged lightly, an amused smile playing around her lips. "Well, you've got new lips now. It's bound to take a while before you get used to them" she said airily.

The Doctor kissed her more passionately. "What's my score now?" he smirked when he'd pulled away. "Yes, ten" said Anna, dazed. Then she recovered and grew concerned. "How is Hope coping with all of this?" she asked her husband, who sighed heavily. "Not well. She just can't seem to reconcile the man she knew with me. She feels like her dad is gone for good and I'm just…an unwanted replacement. Still, she did agree to give me a chance, so that's something I suppose".

Anna gave him a sympathetic kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, love. She's just not used to you yet, she'll come to see that you're still her father eventually" she assured him. The Doctor couldn't help having doubts. Would Hope ever see him as more than just a stranger trying to replace the dad she knew and loved? What if she never did?

"_She will, just give her time" _Anna said telepathically, interrupting his downward spiralling thoughts. He gave her a grateful smile. "I think I missed something these past ten years. Has our daughter always been this sceptical?" he asked Anna. "As far as I know, yes. Don't you remember when we went to Shan Shen, someone offered to read Hope's fortune, and she demanded to see their credentials?"

The Doctor chuckled. "Oh, yeah! And then she accused the poor woman of being part of the Trickster's Brigade" he recalled, grinning. Anna rolled her eyes. "You never should've told her that story. Maybe then she wouldn't have ended up banned from that marketplace for life" she grumbled. The Doctor just laughed and went to help her steer the time machine.


	5. Hope, Trust and Love Part Two

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

A/N: It occurred to me that I haven't described Hope's regular outfit yet. So she wears trainers, white leggings, a black skirt, a white long sleeved blouse and a TARDIS blue sleeveless jacket. Sort of like a more feminine version of Rory's outfit.

Hope, Trust and Love Part Two 

Hope lay curled up on her covers, sniffling. She gazed miserably at the photo of herself and her parents, smiling and happy. She missed her dad, her real dad, not this new man who claimed to be him. "You promised" she whispered to thin air.

"_Hope, I swear I will come back. I might not come back in five minutes, but I will _always_ come back". _That's what he'd told her, but he wouldn't come back now. Not ever. What made it worse was that in a way, he'd never really left. In her head, Hope knew this wasn't the first time her dad had changed. She'd seen pictures of his other faces. But those men were strangers to her. None of them were the man who'd read her stories, and taught her to swim, and promised her he'd always come back.

Hope could hear singing in her head, like she always did when she was upset. Her mum said it was a gift from the Ood, whatever that meant. It was comforting, and Hope simply dozed for a while, humming along under her breath. Eventually, she got up and wandered to the console room. Her mum came over the moment she spotted her daughter and gave her a hug. "Hello, darling. How're you feeling?" she asked. Hope shrugged. "I'm fine. Are we going somewhere?" she asked with false cheeriness.

"Well, your mum and I are, but you'll have to stay here I'm afraid" said the Doctor. Hope frowned. "Why?" she asked warily. "We picked up a distress call from Haxilican. They're fighting a war against terrorists in this time period who are known for trafficking in child slaves. I won't risk your safety like that" the Doctor explained, his fists unconsciously clenching at the thought of his daughter, of any child, being treated that way.

Hope reluctantly agreed to stay behind in the TARDIS with her babysitter Clara. She liked Clara a lot more now that she understood who Clara was, and since the girl had saved her dad. "Bye mum, I love you" she said, giving Anna a tight squeeze. Then she turned to the Doctor. "Good luck" she said bluntly. The Doctor turned his wince into a cough. "We'll see you soon, sweetheart. Be good. I love you" he told her. Hope merely looked down at her trainers.

After her parents had left, Hope looked up expectantly at Clara. "Are you hungry? I could make lamb curry" offered her babysitter. Hope looked doubtful; suffice to say that soufflés were not the only meal Clara had trouble with. "We could make pizza toast" Clara suggested, seeing Hope's less than keen expression transform into an eager grin. Pizza toast – bread smeared with tomato puree, grated cheese and bits of ham and cooked – was one of Hope's favourite dinners, and something Clara actually could cook.

"Sounds great, race ya to the kitchen!" cried the ten year old, dashing off down the corridor. She beat the taller girl easily. "I don't know… what gives you all that energy…but I…would _love _some" Clara panted. Hope grinned.

They made pizza toast and sat at the table munching away. "Hey, you alright?" asked Clara, concerned that the young Time Tot was being so quiet. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a bit worried about my mum, that's all" replied Hope. Clara didn't miss the way she deliberately left out the Doctor. "Hope…I know how you feel" she told Hope, who frowned and shook her head. "No you don't" she replied, trying not to cry at how that reminded her of her auntie River.

"Right, so you don't feel at all like you'd betray your dad by caring about this new him?" asked Clara, doing her best not to smirk at the disbelieving look on Hope's face. "How d'you know that?" she asked. "I told you, I know how you feel. See, a couple of years after my mum died, my dad started dating this woman from work, Sophie Hartman. I couldn't stand her" said Clara.

"Was she mean to you?" asked Hope. "Nah, she was nice. I just didn't like her cos she wasn't my mum. Anyway, one night my dad went out with Sophie and came home late. We argued. I told him; shouted, more like; that I hated Sophie because my mum wouldn't want me to like her. And d'you know what he said?" she asked Hope, who shook her head.

Clara picked up her plate, and Hope's, and carried them over to the sink. "He said 'are you sure that's what she'd want?'" she said as she began washing up. "Later on when I'd calmed down, I realised my mum _wouldn't _want me to hate anyone, not even dad's new girlfriend. She'd want dad to be happy and me to be happy for him" she explained as she dried the plates.

Hope frowned thoughtfully. After a few minutes she asked, "I don't get it; what does that have to do with me?" Clara put the plates away, and handed Hope a biscuit from the tin in the cupboard. "What I'm saying is that you've gotta ask yourself what your dad would say. What he would want" she explained. Hope thought about it, and the more she thought, the more she realised…

The dad she knew would never have approved of how she was treating his new self. _"What happened to that sweet girl I know?" _he'd have said. She did her best to try and see things from his point of view. He'd had to regenerate so he wouldn't die, and a dead dad would be even worse than a new dad. She knew she might regenerate someday, and she knew her dad would never not trust her new self, or say she wasn't his daughter anymore. He'd love her…he loved her no matter what.

She felt bad. To take her mind of it, she asked Clara, "did your dad and Sophie get married?" Clara shook her head. "Nah, she got promoted and moved to the States. Right then! What d'you wanna do now, how about a game of hide and seek?" Clara suggested brightly.

/

When the Doctor and Anna returned a few hours later, Hope was waiting for him. She ran straight for her dad and wrapped her arms in a vicelike grip around his waist. "I'm so glad you're back, dad. I missed you, I'm sorry about before. I love you" she told him, her voice muffled by his shirt. He gently disengaged her arms and knelt down on one knee to give her a proper embrace. "It's okay, sweetheart. It's okay. I love you too".


	6. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

A/N: I know technically this is chapter six, but never mind. Also, this story has six chapters, and two reviews. _Two. _Pretty please leave a review!

Hope's First Telepathy Lessons 

The twelfth Doctor was busy replacing some worn parts in the gravitational stabilisers when he felt something poking at his mental barriers. He'd raised them to avoid distractions, and was so focused on his work that he simply absent-mindedly brushed his hand over his ear, as if to dislodge a pesky fly. The poking continued, so the Doctor put his tools down and turned around.

Hope was standing behind him, face screwed up in concentration, her index fingers pressing on her temples. Smiling in amusement, he called her name. Startled out of her focus, Hope scowled at her father. "What gives? I was pounding really hard, why didn't you hear me?" she demanded. "You were pounding on my barriers? Sorry, darling, it just felt like poking. So…I'm guessing you want to learn telepathy" he surmised. Hope nodded eagerly.

The Doctor turned back to his work. "I'll be happy to teach you, I've just gotta fix this first and make sure we don't fall into a sun" he explained. Hope wasn't that patient at the best of times, so the Doctor was very surprised when she sat down and waited quietly. When he'd finished, he took her to the Zero Room. "It'll be easier for you to learn telepathy in here, with background radiation and noises filtered out" he explained.

They sat cross legged on the floor facing on another. "I'll teach you how to form mental barriers. It'll come in handy if you ever come across any telepaths or aliens trying to read or control your mind. Are you ready?" he asked her, and she nodded. "Okay. Now the simplest barrier is a shut door. I'm going to go into your mind, to show you what it feels like, and if there's anything you don't want me to see, just imagine putting it in a room and shutting the door".

He placed his fingers on her temples and carefully stepped into her mind. It took on the appearance of a corridor in the TARDIS, with a lot of doors on either side. All of them were open. _Picture yourself here _he told her. A moment later, Hope appeared in front of him. _I did try to shut the doors, but thinking about the things inside made them stay open _she explained. _It's okay, that's normal. Shut the doors here, without looking in. _So Hope made her way down the corridor of her mind, shutting all the doors.

_Very good, Hope. Now to make it even more secure, imagine locking the doors. _She did so, although she began to pant with the effort. _Okay, I think that's enough for today. _The Doctor came out of his daughters mind. "Well done, sweetheart. I'll teach you one last thing; the rules of telepathy. They're very important, so listen closely". When he was sure he had her full attention, the Doctor began to explain the rules.

"One, you must never read someone elses mind without their permission. Two, you must always keep any knowledge that might be dangerous behind your barriers. Three, you must never influence someone to think, act or feel what you want them to, unless doing so will save your life. Do you promise to follow those rules?" he asked. Hope crossed her hearts. "Good girl".

Hope's First Time Sense Lessons

Hope and her friends were exploring the Gamma Forests, when she saw something that made her pause. "Hey, Lorna? Are you having a festival here?" she asked Lorene's daughter. "Um, I don't think so. Why?" asked Lorna. Without looking around, Hope replied "I just wondered what all the red and blue glowing lines everywhere were for".

Her friends exchanged looks behind her back. "What glowing lines?" asked Sam. Hope turned to him saying "How can't you see them, they're every"- and then gasped. "They're coming out of you guys!" she cried, pointing. There were orangey red cords all twisted and tangled together behind her friends, and purplish blue cords branching out of their chests. She looked down at herself and saw fainter cords emerging from her own body, tangling with all the others.

"Um, Hope, are you feeling okay?" asked Anthony. "Cos none of us can see whatever you're seeing" added Tania. Panicked, Hope sprinted back to Lorna's house, where their parents were enjoying the shade in the garden. Hope vaulted over the gate and yelled "Mum, dad, I'm insane!" This certainly gave the grown-ups pause. "Okay, on a scale of one to five, how worried should we be?" asked the Doctor. "Very! There's all these lines everywhere, and the others can't see 'em, and they're coming out of them and" –

"They're coloured red and blue and they're all tangled up?" finished the Doctor. Hope's eyes widened. "You can see them too? I thought craziness wasn't hereditary" she said, puzzled. "You're not crazy, darling. Your Time Sense is starting to develop. It's confusing at first, but you can learn to control it" explained Anna. The Doctor smiled. "You could teach her. Have a bit of mummy daughter bonding time" he suggested.

/

Anna sat with Hope in the Zero Room on cushions. "In actual fact, you've already been accessing your Time Sense intuitively. Now you're beginning to do so consciously" explained Anna. "I'll give you an example. When you play hide and seek with me and your father, you always know where we are, correct?" she asked, and her daughter nodded. "That's because you were subconsciously following the link you have with us.

"Look at the lines around us. Can you see any that are a different colour than red and blue?" inquired Anna. Hope looked around, and pointed at a thick golden thread. "That's right. Where does that thread lead?" she asked. Hope followed it and found it led… "between me and you!" she exclaimed. Anna smiled. "Is there another golden cord coming out of you?" she asked.

Hope looked down at herself and spotted another, thinner golden line. This one went right through the door. "Follow it with your mind" Anna encouraged. Hope imagined being a bead sliding along the thread, through the corridors, all the way to the library. "It leads to dad" she realised, "but why is it thinner than the other one?"

"Time Lord children naturally have a stronger link to their mothers than their fathers, on account of being born from them" explained Anna. "Right, now the red lines are the past and the blue lines are the future, it's quite simple. Pick a red cord and follow it with your mind, let yourself see into the past…"

Hope's First School Dance 

"Mum, can we go shopping? Anthony invited me to the end of year school party and I've got nothing to wear" complained the thirteen year old Hope. Anna looked up from her novel and brushed some strands of blonde hair from her face. A few months ago she'd regenerated, attacked by a Hoix of all things. Hope took her regeneration much better than she had when the Doctor changed, having matured in the last three years. She was already skilled at telepathy and using her Time Sense.

"Have you looked in the wardrobe?" she asked Hope, who nodded. "Yeah, but there are no good dresses in there. It's all old stuff and everyone's gonna be there, mum, I need something new" she insisted. "Okay, we'll go to Calderon Beta. Their bazaars have some beautiful dresses" agreed her mother.

/

The Doctor didn't know what was keeping his wife and daughter. Anna had told him to put on a suit and set the co-ordinates to just outside Rory and Amy's house, for some reason. He hadn't seen his old companions in a while, but he didn't know why he had to get dressed up to do that. Finally, Anna appeared at the top of the steps, wearing a flowing amethyst shaded dress with lacy sleeves. "You look gorgeous" he said in awe.

"Thank you darling. Hope looks beautiful too, don't you think?" Anna smiled proudly as her daughter stepped up beside her, dressed in a periwinkle blue backless dress. Tiny diamonds had been threaded through her curls. The Doctor stared at her and then frowned. "Why are you dressed like that?" he asked. Anna answered for Hope. "Anthony invited her to the school dance tonight, dear" she explained.

The Doctor frowned harder. "Invited? As in a date? You're too young to date, there will be no dating" he told his daughter sternly. Hope rolled her eyes and said, "it's not a date, dad, Ant and I are just friends". There was a knocking at the door and she called, "Come on in". Anthony Williams stepped into the TARDIS, wearing a rather hand me down looking brown suit. "Hi, Hope, are you…whoa. You look…whoa" he said, staring at her and mentally kicking himself. _That's the best I can do? _

Hope smiled and said he looked pretty 'whoa' himself. "The party finishes at 11, I'll meet you back here at 11:15" she informed her parents, eager to get going. The Doctor shook Anthony's hand (squeezing rather tightly) and gave him a friendly (oddly hard) pat on the shoulder. Anna hugged her daughter, and then pulled something off Anthony's shoulder and out of his palm. "No bugging your daughters friends" she told her husband.

After Hope and Anthony had left, the Doctor turned to Anna and asked, "I still don't understand, why did we have to get dressed up?" Anna smiled and took hold of his hand. "They're not the only ones with something to celebrate. I've got some brilliant news" she beamed, placing his hand on her stomach. The Doctor's eyes widened. "How long?" he asked. "Three weeks or thereabouts" she replied, pulling him down by the lapels to kiss him.

Hope's First School Dance (Part Two)

If there was one thing Hope was thankful for, it was her tan. Her blush wasn't nearly so visible in the gloom. "Sorry about my dad. He's so overprotective" she said with a roll of her eyes, as they walked the few blocks to the school. "That's okay, it's sort of their job to be annoying and overprotective" replied Anthony. He glanced sideways at Hope. "I meant to say wonderful" he blurted out suddenly. "When I said you look 'whoa', I mean" he added hastily.

_I've got to stop blushing _thought Hope_. _"Thanks. You're a great friend" she said, not noticing the hurt look on his face. They arrived at the school, and entered the theatre the party was being held in. There was a DJ up on the stage, and all the chairs were stacked out of the way or arranged around snack filled tables. There were students dancing, eating, and a few just milling about. "You want to dance?" asked Anthony. "Sure, why not?"

About five songs in, the DJ spoke into his microphone. "Okay folks, if you've got a girl then pull her close cos we're gonna slow things down with an old classic". The song 'Crazy Love' by Michael Buble began to play. The students with girlfriends and boyfriends began to slow dance to it, whilst the rest merely stood there awkwardly.

"Don't you want to dance?" asked Anthony. "Wouldn't it be weird, slow dancing? I mean, we're best friends" replied Hope. Anthony shrugged. "We could still slow dance as friends" he said. Hope bit her lip. "I…don't actually know how to slow dance" she admitted. "It's easy. Just put your hand on my shoulder, like this, and link your fingers on the other hand with mine, like this" he showed her.

They danced for a bit. The different coloured lights caught on the diamonds in Hope's hair, making them sparkle like a rainbow halo. "Hope, we've been friends for a really long time, right?" he asked. "Ten whole years" she agreed. "Yeah, I mean we've been friends since we were three. And I've been thinking, recently, and maybe, not so recently…that I think I might want to be _more _than just"- he broke off as Hope coughed loudly.

"Sorry, my throat's dry. You were saying?" she asked, but the moment had gone. "It err, doesn't matter. Let me get you a drink" he offered, leading her off the dance floor. _So much for asking her to be my girlfriend, _he thought sadly.

/

A/N: Anthony is following in his father's footsteps. Fall in love with the girl of your dreams, check. Have that girl send you straight to the friend zone, check. Now all he has to do is either get killed in a dream, or wait two thousand years.

But if you're wondering if Hope knows that Anthony loves her, she's a Time Lady. She's pretty astute. And she has a reason for not wanting to date him (I won't say if it's a good or a bad one).


	7. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. Roald Dahl owns his own books.

A/N: I don't know why I'm even bothering since I'm starting to think no one's reading this story.

So, we know who's playing the twelfth Doctor! I won't say the name to avoid spoilers, but if you do know, and you wish to comment on or criticise the choice, kindly do it elsewhere other than in reviews, thank you. You're welcome to ask me my opinion about the new Doctor in the reviews, keeping spoilers to a minimum of course, but please don't turn this into an actor flaming session.

Hope's First Sibling 

After Hope and Anthony had left, the Doctor had turned to Anna with a hopeful, but slightly incredulous expression. "So…we're really having another baby" he muttered. She smiled and nodded. "I didn't even think...now that we don't, y'know…" he trailed off, unusually awkward. "Act like a couple of love-struck teenagers?" asked Anna in amusement. "I'm just as surprised as you are, thief, but the scans are accurate. Hope is getting a sibling" she smiled, excited and nervous. The Doctor smiled and leaned in to kiss her.

That was how Hope found them when she returned from the party, though they had taken a break to visit Italy for a meal and then return to England. "Eww, scar me for life why don't you" she said, a hand pressed over her eyes. "You've never minded seeing us kiss before" said the Doctor. "I was a kid, I didn't know any better. Besides, you guys weren't old then- well, mum wasn't. That was gross, this is double gross" replied Hope.

"Hope, we have some wonderful news" smiled Anna. "I'm pregnant. You're going to have a baby sister or brother soon!" Anna told her daughter. Hope grinned, and then looked worried. "Mum…please tell me this baby was made the same way I was" she asked. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at Anna, silently asking what Hope was talking about. "Ah, you see…Hope had her first period recently, and explaining that led to explaining where infants come from, and in turn to where she came from and the fact that I'm…that I used to be the TARDIS" explained Anna, before adding, "she took it rather well".

"Yeah, but was this one made the same way as me?" asked Hope. "Now Hope, this is a baby we're talking about, not an object" scolded Anna. "And no, the baby was made the, erm", she cleared her throat, "normal way". Hope looked between her parents with an expression of dawning horror on her face. "….that's it; I'm staying over at Anthony's. I'll tell 'em the good news. Let me know when you've stopped being gross" she announced, before turning on her heels and walking out the door. "Do you get the feeling that our daughter is embarrassed by us?" the Doctor asked.

Anna chuckled. "She's a teenager now, I think it's natural" she assured him just as the phone rang. Curious, the Doctor picked it up. "Hello?" Someone that sounded rather like Amy squealed from the other side. The Doctor winced. Anna took the phone from him. "Amy, it's Anna. Yes, we regenerated. I take it Hope passed on the message…"

/

As far as pregnancies went, this one was really quite uncomplicated. They faced all the usual woes, but there were no mid-trimester regenerations (from either parent) or bad guys kidnapping the mother. The baby, a little boy, already had a few of his father's light brown curls, though obviously with less grey in them, and his mother's light blue eyes. He definitely looked like his sister's brother, only…lighter in colour.

"What's his name?" asked Hope when she first saw her sibling. The Doctor showed her how to hold him. "We haven't quite agreed on a name yet. If he'd been a girl, we would have called him Faith" admitted Anna. "What d'you think of Jason?" she asked, and Hope pulled a face. "Nah. In fact…I know the perfect name. Danny" she announced. "Danny?" the Doctor inquired in surprise. Hope blushed slightly. "You remember when I was really little, and you called me 'Hope, the Hero of the Universe'?" she asked. He nodded.

"Well, my brother should have a name like that. Like in the Roald Dahl book. Hope, the Hero of the Universe and Danny, the Champion of the World".

Hope's First Sonic Screwdriver 

Hope and her father were sneaking through a Sontaron battle cruiser, the small soldiers bent on invading Earth _again_. Anna was looking after their two year old son Danny; he'd been fussy lately. Their only chance to stop the Sontarons from entering Earth's atmosphere was to redirect the ship. "One of us should make a distraction" hissed Hope. The Doctor spotted a shadow approaching and pulled his daughter into an alcove.

When the Sontaron had passed them by, Hope whispered. "Dad, let me distract them. You're better with ship controls and stuff than I am. I can handle this". Her dad was always so protective, and she understood why, but that didn't mean it wasn't annoying sometimes. The Doctor hesitated, and then pulled a small silver stick from his pocket. "Take this, and use it to signal me" he said, handing her the sonic screwdriver. They hugged briefly before going their separate ways.

/

Later on, when the threat had been resolved and they'd made it back to the TARDIS, Hope tried to return the sonic. "Oh, no, I gave it to you to keep" said the Doctor. Hope's eyes widened. She looked from her father to the sonic and back to her father. "Seriously?" she asked. "Well, I think you're old enough to use it responsibly. It's got all of the settings that mine does, but if you like, I can upgrade it-oof!" he gasped as Hope suddenly wrapped her arms around him. "Thanks, dad" she grinned.

As soon as he'd regained his balance, the Doctor returned the embrace. "You're welcome, sweetheart" he smiled.

Hope's First TARDIS Flight 

It was morning…on Earth in the southern hemisphere, at least. Of course there was no morning in the TARDIS, you went to bed when the lights dimmed and you got up when they brightened. After breakfast, the timey wimey family went to the console room to set their next destination. "Can we go to a beach? My tan is starting to fade. Barcelona's got some great beaches, after all" said Hope.

Anna gently pulled the Doctor away from the controls. "Why don't you fly us there?" she asked Hope, who grinned eagerly. "You mean it? I can't believe you're letting me fly the TARDIS on my own…wait, it's not on easy mode, is it?" she asked suspiciously. Her parents glanced at one another. "You're under supervision, remember. You don't exactly _need _it on easy mode…but we put it on just to be safe" said the Doctor. Hope rolled her eyes; of course they would put it into easy mode, as if she hadn't been helping them fly the TARDIS since she was twelve.

Nearby, Danny was playing with his model spaceship on the floor. "When can I have a go?" he asked, pouting. "When you're tall enough to reach the controls" answered Hope as she set the co-ordinates and checked the gravitational stabilizer. "I _can_ reach the controls!" her four year old brother insisted, coming over and standing on tiptoes. He flicked a switch and the TARDIS rumbled.

Hope flicked it back and shooed him away. "Go play with your toy, Danny. Only grown-ups can fly the TARDIS, that's the rule" she told him. Danny stuck his tongue out at her and ran off with his spaceship down the corridors.

When they'd landed (not at a beach, but on the right planet) and he didn't return, Hope went to look for him. She found her brother sulking in his room. "Hey, champ, aren't you gonna come and explore?" He didn't reply. "We're not at the beach, but I think I saw an amusement park" Hope added temptingly. "I'd be too short to go on anything, wouldn't I?" Danny grumbled. "C'mon, don't be like this. I'm sorry I was rude to you, okay?" said Hope.

Danny looked up at her. "Pinkie promise not to be rude to me again?" he asked. She linked her pinkie finger with his. Danny grinned at her, their previous argument forgiven and forgotten. "Okay, c'mon sis. Let's go exploring!" he crowed, running down the corridor.

/

A/N: The fourth 'first' in this chapter was getting so long, so I've put it on the next chapter.


	8. Chapter 5a

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Hope's First World Saved 

Anthony placed the weighty shopping bags in his hands down with a grateful sigh. Hope was nearby, pulling clothes from the racks and holding them against herself. He rubbed the red marks on his palms and admired her slim, tanned figure, the dark chocolate curls that fell to her shoulders, the deep blue eyes that were…looking right at him, eyebrow raised. Anthony blushed at having been caught staring, and said "Sorry, what?"

"I said, what d'you think of this?" she asked, holding up a sweater that looked like woven gold. It looked good off her, and he bet it would look even better on her. "Beautiful" he said dazedly. Hope gave him a dazzling smile and said "yeah, it does look pretty good. It's my size and everything. Hey, thanks for letting me drag you out here. You're such a great friend". _If only we could be more _she thought longingly. Little did she know that Anthony was thinking the exact same thing.

Suddenly, the department store began to rumble and shake. Shoppers and clerks screamed and looked wildly around in fear. Hope tossed the golden sweater to Anthony and bolted off; he stuffed it hastily inside one of the bags and ran after her. They dodged around the panicking humans, heading for the doors. "Was that an earthquake?" asked Anthony, when suddenly someone shouted. "Oh my God, it's the Earth! I can see the Earth!"

Outside the glass automatic doors that led into the shopping centre was a barren grey wasteland, and not the London high street it had been before. And sure enough, Anthony's home planet hung in the sky, millions of miles away. Without thinking Hope reached out and grabbed Anthony's hand, not that he minded. "Ant, I think you're gonna be late for dinner" she said.

Everyone was panicking, so Hope took out her sonic and pointed it up in the air. The shrill blast of noise certainly got the human's attention. "Nobody panic. For one thing, it's not gonna get you home any quicker, and for another, I'm gonna save you" she announced. "Save us, how? You're just one girl" one man protested. "Not true, one amazing girl and one boy who's sticking with her no matter what" Anthony informed him. Just then, they heard a thud outside, and everyone looked to see a spaceship landing outside.

Ten armoured aliens, with lizard tails and crests, marched towards the stranded building. Hope identified them straight away. "Listen up, all of you. Those are Lacertans, they're a warrior race but they'll _only _attack if provoked. And I don't mean just the provoker but the provokers' whole species. So nobody antagonise them. They brought us here because there's something in this store they want, but they don't have the technology to remove it from the building without destroying the whole thing in the process" she explained.

"What do they want?" asked one shopper, just as another pointed fearfully and said "they're here!" Sure enough, the Lacertans were striding through the force-field keeping the air in. They blasted open the door, making everyone but Hope and Anthony duck for cover. "Hello. I'd ask if you come in peace, but judging by the guns I'd guess not" she said cheerfully. The leader removed a thin device from his sleeve and waved it around. It buzzed loudly as it passed over Hope, scanning her.

"You are a Time Lady, your intelligence is necessary to turn the war against the Draconians to our favour. Your brain will be extracted, the rest of your anatomy is unnecessary. Your refusal will result in the destruction of all humans" he rasped in a language none but Hope could understand. Anthony tensed and Hope gave his hand a squeeze. "So what you're saying is, if I don't surrender right now and let you take my brain and use it to win a war, you'll kill every human, not just the ones you've trapped here?" she asked to clear things up for the scared humans.

"That is correct" the Lacertan replied. "Okay, just wanted to clear that up. I'll come on one condition. You send them home" said Hope. The Lacertan protested, or rather tried to, but Hope cut him off. "You know what I am, but do you know _who _I am? Cos if you do, and you're desperate enough to try and attack _me, _you're not really in a position to argue are you?" There was a terrible pause, and then the leader tossed her a breathing device. She gave Anthony a hug and whispered to him, "Find my parents".

Then she fitted the breathing device into her mouth and nose and followed the Lacertans from the store. Once out on the moon's surface, the leader took out another device and pointed it at the shopping centre. It shimmered and vanished in thin air. When they found themselves back on Earth, every shopper and sales clerk streamed out of the doors. Anthony dodged everybody, including the police gathered at the scene, and called his mum. "Mum, it's me. Call the Doctor. Hope's in danger, she needs him!"

/

Hope was fortunate, in that the Lacertans seemed so assured of her co-operation that they didn't restrain her. The moment she was aboard their ship she dodged past them and ran for her life. She'd never been aboard a Lacertan spaceship, but it was a familiar type, triple phase engines fuelled with a similar substance to the one the humans knew as C4. The difference was that this stuff was extremely unstable if exposed to oxygen.

She made a beeline straight for where she predicted the engines would be. The abundance of Lacertans intent on taking her brain, which she'd really rather keep in her skull, prompted her to take to the maintenance shafts. She remembered crawling through them as a child, her mum or dad telling her to be as quiet as possible. It was a lot easier to move in a cramped space when she was eight. Eventually she made it to the engine room, and knocked out the guard with a well-aimed throw of some piping.

The fuel was locked inside massive airtight containers. Hope scaled the piping on the wall, wincing as the scalding hot metal seared her palms, and jumped onto the top of the container nearest the door. At this point she hesitated. She didn't want to kill them, but if they escaped they'd just keep coming back, destroying anything in their way. Hope knew that the escape pods were near the engines in ships like this, the shockwave from an exploding engine would push the pods far from the blast itself.

The guard groaned; it was now or never. Hope used the sonic to disrupt the integrity of the sealant, breaking it apart and letting air inside. She leapt off the container and once again ran for her life. She had about six minutes. Dodging the Lacertans, zapping the nearer ones with the sonic (she'd added a Taser setting). Five minutes. She ran into the escape unit, frantically working the controls, setting every pod to jettison in four minutes. She climbed inside one of them. The Lacertans shot at the reinforced door. Four…three…two…one.

There was a multitude of hisses as the clamps disengaged_, _and the fifty escape pods streamed in unison from the Lacertan ship. Moments later, with a noise so loud it was noiseless, the spaceship exploded. The blast wave swept the pods to safety, all of them automatically steering a course for Lacerta. Hope heard the TARDIS materialise and stepped from the escape pod into her father's arms.

"Thank you for coming" she smiled as she hugged him. "I'll always come, Hope. Of course you do realise I'm going to ground you" said the Doctor. "Yeah, I figured…dad, where's Anthony?"

/

Hope and Anthony stood outside his house, just looking at her. "That was so brave, what you did" said Anthony. Hope blushed slightly and smiled. "Thanks, well I couldn't let anything happen to you" she answered. Anthony plucked up every scrap of courage in his body. "Listen, Hope, there's something I have to tell you. For a really long time I've wanted to tell you…I love you, and I don't want to just be a great friend, I want to be a great boyfriend" he told her.

Hope didn't laugh, or cry, or even smile. "You would be, but you can't" she said sadly. Anthony frowned. "Why not?" he demanded. He knew she was an alien and he didn't care, not in the slightest. Hope tried to tell him. _Because you'll age and I'll stay young; because you wouldn't want to date a murderer; because my life is dangerous and I could die or change and not be the girl you love anymore. _"Because...you're human" she said, and immediately regretted it.

A shadow fell over Anthony's handsome face. "I see. If that's how you feel…I'll see you around, Hope". He walked up the steps to his door. "We're still friends right?" Hope blurted out. Anthony paused, but didn't look round. He walked inside his house, his heart breaking. Hope turned and walked back to the TARDIS, her hearts breaking.


	9. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. I wish I did, but I don't.

A/N: So a few chapters back I was begging for reviews, and now I have 7! I should have known people were still reading my story. You guys are all awesome whether you've reviewed, favourited or followed. I'm sorry to say that the next two updates will be the last of 'Hope's First'. On the bright side, I already have ideas for the next part of the series!

Hope's First Boyfriend Part One

Hope and Tanya were chatting on the video phone linked up between the TARDIS and Tanya's house. "Sorry about all the static, the Vortex plays havoc with the signal" Hope apologised. Tanya waved her off. "So, have you seen any of the others lately?" she asked. Hope shrugged and replied, "No, not really….okay, I did see Anthony. He's got a new girlfriend".

Tanya winced in sympathy. "What's…like, then?" she asked as the screen crackled. "Her name's Vanessa Darlington. She's okay, I suppose, but to be honest I think she's a bit of a…, well, an airhead" Hope admitted. "I don't even think she likes him that much. She was hardly paying attention when Ant was telling me – telling _us_ about winning a hockey game last week" she added.

"What's her hair colour?" asked Tanya. "Platinum blonde" answered Hope, and Tanya immediately began rummaging amongst her magazines. "OMG! Hope, I think Anthony's still into you!" she exclaimed gleefully. Hope winced and turned it into a scoff. "It's been five months, for him anyway. He's gotten over me, in case you weren't listening, he has a girlfriend" she said in annoyance. She was annoyed at Tanya for trying to get her hope's up, not at Anthony for having a girlfriend who wasn't…her.

Tanya held up a page in a magazine to the screen. "Yeah, but according to Dwarf Star Monthly, if a guy dates a girl who's the opposite of the girl he dumped or was dumped by, it means he's trying to get over that girl. Don't you see? Anthony wouldn't need to 'get over you' if he wasn't still into you!" she explained, grinning proudly at her own cleverness. Hope was not so sure. "Maybe…I'll call you later, Tanya. I've got some things to think about" she said, before hanging up.

Hope walked through the TARDIS to the empty console. She piloted the time machine to London and went walking along the Thames eating chips. Halfway along it she heard Anthony calling her name. "Um, hi" he said awkwardly when he'd caught up to her. "Hey. So um, are you seeing Vanessa now?" Hope asked. Anthony glanced over her shoulder and his face fell. "I was".

Hope turned as well, and realised that the couple at the end of the street were Vanessa and another boy, who had his arm around her waist. Vanessa giggled at something the boy said and kissed him on the cheek. "Why of all the rotten"- Hope said indignantly, fully prepared to stride over and give Vanessa a piece of her mind, but Anthony held her back. "Forget it. She's not worth it" he sighed, looking out at the grey and frothing ocean.

Hesitatingly, Hope stood next to him. Neither of them looked at the other one. "She might not be worth it but that doesn't make it right" Hope said after five minutes of silence, "You deserve better". Anthony just shrugged. "I think that door slammed shut five months ago" he said tersely. Hope didn't know why it was so hard to explain how she felt. "I didn't mean it" she blurted out suddenly, "what I said, about not dating you cos you're human. Ant, are you really still angry about that?" she asked.

Anthony sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "Not anymore. I was at the time though…you made me feel worthless, like I wasn't good enough for you" he explained. Hope felt awful. "You're not worthless at all! You're sweet and loyal and brave. If anything, _I'm _not good enough for _you_" she told him. Anthony turned and leaned his back against the railings. "If you won't date me cos I'm human, then what's the real reason?" he questioned.

She figured he deserved to know. Hope took a deep breath and said "I don't want to date you because I feel the same way about you that you do about me". Anthony stared at her. "Sorry, I don't get that. At all" he said in disbelief.

"Anthony, how old do you think I am?" she asked him. Taken aback, he replied "Err, nineteen?" Hope shook her head. "I'm forty nine. It's been five months for you, but it's been thirty _years _for me. But don't you see, you're gonna age and I'll stay young, or change altogether. It's gonna hurt me enough when you die, if we dated and even if it didn't work out…it would just make it hurt more. I…I don't know if I'm strong enough for that" she explained.

Anthony's eyes grew wide in realisation. "You're scared" he said quietly. Hope sniffed. "Being cowardly when it comes to love is a family trait" she joked weakly. "Hope, you aren't a coward. When we were kids you stood up to bullies, and now you're standing up to evil aliens. I get that you don't want to get hurt, but d'you really want to let your fear of the future get in the way of the present?" asked Anthony.

All at once, Hope realised that her brilliant friend was right; the future was a long way away, she needed to be thinking about the present. Without thinking, she launched herself at Anthony and hugged him tightly. "Um, so does this mean we're a couple?" he asked in bewilderment, even as he hugged her warmly in return. "Of course it does. I love you, Anthony" she muttered in his ear, grinning widely. There was a pause. "I love you too, Hope".

Hope's First Boyfriend Part Two

Hope walked along the beach with her hand clasped in Anthony's and felt like she was walking on air. A rather clichéd reaction, perhaps, but she was just so happy. Sure, she was still scared about the future, but her new boyfriend was right; that shouldn't stop her enjoying the present. They were going to go back to the TARDIS, to tell her parents about their new relationship.

Anthony, on the other hand, was…nervous, to say the least, of having to reveal his and Hope's new relationship to her father. It wasn't that Anthony didn't like the Doctor. The man loved Hope very much, and he knew that, as the last of their kind, all the Time Lords were rather protective of each other. But the new Doctor scared him slightly. He supposed it was just bad luck on his part that the Doctor regenerated into a much sterner man at just the point when Anthony started really noticing Hope in…that way.

Sure enough, Hope's parents were in the console room when they returned. Her little brother Danny was nowhere to be seen. "Hey mum, hey dad" Hope said casually as she pulled Anthony up to the console. "Ant and I are dating now". Anna smiled kindly and congratulated them. The Doctor just glared at Anthony. "No, you are most certainly not dating him, not without my approval" he said sternly.

Outraged, Hope stalked up to her father. "Since when do I need your approval?" she demanded. "We've been over this like a million times, I am _not _your little girl anymore" she added, staring down the older Time Lord. "I am still your father, Hope. I am in charge here and I do not want you with that boy" the Doctor replied, before feeling a hand on his shoulder. "Thief, you're overreacting. Hope's grown up, you can't control her life like this" Anna told him firmly.

The Doctor scowled in frustration. "I'm trying to _protect_ her from getting heartbroken. He's a human, Hope. This won't work out" he told his daughter. "That doesn't mean I can't try! Damn you, dad, what do you expect? It's not like I can date a Time Lord thanks to you!" she shouted, and then gasped. The Doctor's angry countenance closed up, a spasm of guilt flashing across his face. He turned and walked away without another word.

Hope swore under her breath and hurried after him. Anthony hesitated, and then followed her. At the very least he could try and be a shoulder to cry on. Hope found her father in her old bedroom, of all places, gazing at the mural of Gallifrey on the wall. "Dad?" she said cautiously. He didn't respond. "I didn't mean it…well I did but, now I regret it. I'm so sorry, dad" she apologised.

The Doctor sighed. "So am I" he admitted. Still looking at the mural, he said "Before the War I had children, grandchildren, and I loved them all so much. But I didn't tell them that enough, I wasn't around enough…now they're all gone". The regret in his voice was heart-breaking. "When you were born, I was so desperate to get it right, to be a good father…I suppose I got too carried away. You know you'll _always _be my little girl, Hope. I love you" he told her, and she embraced him.

"I know, dad. I love you too. So, are you okay with us dating?" she asked. The Doctor turned to Anthony and said "You know, you remind me of your father. And considering the devotion that man showed to your mother…there is no one in the universe I'd approve of to be my daughter's boyfriend than you" he admitted. Anthony nodded and saluted. Hope wrapped her arms around his neck and his grin nearly split his face in twain.

Hope's First Date 

Anthony was in his living room, watching TV, when he received a text from his girlfriend. _Meet me at the school, xxx. _Puzzled, he switched off the television and pulled on his trainers. "Mum, dad, I'm going out" he called as he left the house, yanking his hood up when it turned out to be raining. Then he jogged to the school a few blocks away. He hadn't been to his old school in ages. Hope was waiting for him outside the main entrance, dressed in a long coat with a hood. "Hope, what's going on?" he asked.

Hope put a finger to her lips and took his hand, opening the door. She led Anthony inside the darkened school and through the shadowy corridors. "Hope, why are we here?" Anthony asked once more. Hope turned to him, her eyes gleaming in the light from her sonic screwdriver. "Because the teachers are bat aliens making the kids super smart by giving them chips soaked in brain juice" she told him in a level voice.

And then she burst out laughing. "Oh man, you should've seen your face!" Hope giggled. Anthony frowned at her. "That wasn't funny" he told her. She kissed his cheek in apology and he blinked. "On second thoughts, I can see the funny side now. But seriously, we shouldn't be here. Why are we?" he inquired. Hope just took his hand and dragged him through the school to the theatre.

Once inside the staged hall, Hope sonicked the lights on slowly to give their eyes time to adjust. The seats were stacked to the side, leaving an open space in the middle of the floor. "It's our first date – well, a redo, anyway" said Hope. Anthony didn't understand. "But…but we haven't had a first date yet" he protested. "I know, but remember when we danced together, I know you were trying to ask me out, and I'm sorry I didn't let you. But if you had, that would have been our first date, and this would have been our song".

She pointed the sonic screwdriver at an iPad sitting on a nearby chair, which began to play the first notes of Michael Buble's 'Crazy Love'. Hope pulled off her coat (Anthony only just realised she hadn't put her hood down, and how on Earth had he missed that?) to reveal she was wearing the beautiful azure dress and diamantes in her soft brown curls.

Anthony was suddenly very conscious of the fact that he was dressed in a tracksuit, sweater and trainers. He felt a bit pathetic. Yet when his girlfriend smiled happily at him, he felt like he was the king of the world. Swallowing, he held out his hand to Hope. "Can I have this dance?"

Hope's First Kiss 

"_I can hear her heart beat, from a thousand miles, and the heavens open up, every time she smiles. And when I come to her, that's just where I belong, yep I'm running to her like a river's song…" _Anthony couldn't remember the last time he'd been so happy; and to think that five months ago the girl he was dancing with had broken his heart. He understood her concerns, but he really was very glad she'd given this a chance.

"I can't believe you didn't forget about me in thirty years" he muttered. Hope smiled and replied "I could never forget about any of you, Anthony. I'm just glad it wasn't such a long time for you, I doubt you'd have remembered me". He shook his head. "If I live to be a hundred I will never forget you, Hope. You mean everything to me" Anthony told her seriously. Hope blushed and beamed at him. Then she bit her lip nervously. "Hey, Ant? Why _do _you care about me so much?" she inquired.

Anthony didn't answer straight away. "I think it's because…you fascinated me. Some of our friends live on different planets, in the future, and that's cool but they're human. You're not, and when we were kids you were like, the coolest person I'd ever met" he told her. "Then I got to know you and I realised, you weren't just an alien that lived in a time machine and had two hearts. You were clever and eager and adventurous and kind. I liked you more than any of my other friends".

Hope blushed at the compliments. Anthony winked at her and continued, "But we just kids, and I didn't think it meant anything at the time. Then one day, not that long before the end of year party, my dad was telling me how he met my mother. He'd fallen in love with her the same reason I was falling in love with you; because she was different, an interesting anomaly, and she turned out to be so much more than that. Just like that I understood I was feeling love, not just really strong friendship; and that feeling just got stronger and stronger" he explained.

Just then, something else occurred to Anthony. "Since we're on the subject, what made you fall in love with me?" he asked Hope curiously. "I don't really know" she admitted. "I guess it's because you stuck with me at school when the other kids thought I was weird, cos like you said, I'm an alien. And because you always tried to cheer me up and you didn't mind when I'd get all stuck up about being stronger and smarter than humans. And because you let me drag you into the craziest or most boring things – well, boring for a guy anyway".

They were no longer dancing, just standing and gazing into each other's eyes. "With you nothing is boring" said Anthony, unconsciously leaning down a little bit. "Nothing is boring with you either" answered Hope, standing on her tiptoes. Moments later they were kissing.

"….Is something supposed to happen when you have your first kiss?" Anthony asked bemusedly. Hope shrugged. "I'm guessing this isn't your first kiss" Anthony added; she was much older than him, even if she looked the same age, this couldn't be the first time she'd kissed a boy. "No, it's not" Hope admitted, "but it's still special". Her boyfriend raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"Because it's with you, and it feels right".

/

A/N: Some notes on the drabbles.

Made up advice in a made up magazine is made up.

Family. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.

There is so much fluff in these last two drabbles it's unbelievable. Even I was squee-ing so I bet you will too.


	10. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

A/N: I've realised I've made a dumb mistake. I said in 'Beautiful In Blue' that Hope has brown eyes, but then I forgot about that and said in Hope's First that she has blue eyes. I've edited the first story now so Hope has blue eyes, not brown.

Also, just to keep everyone (including myself) on track: in this story the Doctor is on his twelfth incarnation, Anna is on her third, Hope is forty nine but looks like a nineteen year old and Danny is thirty six but looks like a six year old. Also, by now Clara is no longer travelling in the TARDIS.

Hope's First Regeneration Part One

The chirping and chattering of the rainforest creatures were joined by an eerie, grating whoosh. Monkeys and birds fled, screaming out alarm calls, as a blue police box faded into existence in a steaming clearing. A man who appeared to be in his late fifties, but was in fact much older, stepped out of the mysterious box. He looked around with a considering air, his sharp eyes peering between the foliage for any sign of danger.

The man was followed out by a blonde woman of around the same age, a younger woman and a little boy, both with curly brown hair, although the boy's was shorter and lighter. "Wow!" exclaimed the boy, Danny, craning his neck to stare up at the thick canopy above them. "It seems safe enough" the Doctor muttered, having thoroughly scanned the surroundings with both his eyes and his sonic screwdriver.

The young woman, his daughter Hope, smirked mischievously. She sneaked behind the TARDIS, and then leapt out roaring. Danny yelped in shock and ran behind his mother's legs; Anna and the Doctor raised their eyebrows at Hope, who had doubled over laughing. "Oh man…hey, champ, you okay?" she asked her little brother. Danny grinned, his fear forgotten. "Yeah, do it again!" he begged.

Hope chased her brother around the clearing. "So, where are we going?" she asked her father. "There's a path of sorts here" said the Doctor, pointing out a rough track flattened in the forest floor. "Why don't we simply follow it?" he suggested. "Alright. Hey Danny, we're going to…Danny?" called Hope, looking around for the boy. "Danny? Oh, no – Danny!" cried Anna, looking around wildly.

Danny wasn't anywhere in sight, or in the TARDIS. "As soon as we find him, that boy is grounded. He knows better than to wander off" the Doctor sighed exasperatedly. "Mum, dad, the track keeps going back here. I think I see footprints too", Hope turned to her parents, "you go that way, and I'll go this way. We can signal one another with our sonic screwdrivers if we find him" she explained.

So the Doctor and Anna followed the track to the east, whilst Hope followed it to the west. "DANNY! DANNY!" Hope hollered, irritated with her little brother for running off. Still, she couldn't really blame him; she'd gone wandering plenty of times at his age. "DANNY!" she shouted, and dimly heard a voice replying. Hope strained her ears, trying to hear over the croaks, chirrups and chatters of the jungle inhabitants.

"_Hope?_" came a voice in the near distance, somewhere to her left. Away from the track. _Seriously, Danny? _Hope rolled her eyes and left the beaten path, calling out to Danny. His voice grew louder with every shout, but the echoing acoustics of the forest made it difficult to pinpoint exactly where he was. Hope pushed past a curtain of twisted lianas into a small clearing, finally finding Danny sitting on a half rotten log.

The two siblings hurried towards one another and embraced. "What the heck were you thinking? You know you have to stay with mum or dad at all times" Hope scolded. Danny sniffled. "I'm sorry…it's just, I saw a monkey, and I wanted to see where it went, but then I got lost and" – Hope put a finger on his lips and grinned at him. Danny smiled back. "Hey, it's okay. Let's go back to the TARDIS and meet up with mum and dad" she suggested.

Hope pulled out her sonic and signalled that of her fathers. Moments later the blue light flashed; they'd gotten it. Hope then scanned for the TARDIS, which lay to the northwest. "Right, c'mon Da-ow!" Hope winced, looking down at her ankle. A small teal coloured spider was scurrying up her calf; she brushed it off and examined the bite. It was bright red and stung like mad, but it was very small and didn't seem like much to worry about.

Taking Danny's hand and holding out the sonic, Hope began to find her way back through the jungle. She tried to ignore the stinging spider bite, gritting her teeth and forging on. "Hope, aren't you gonna scan that bite you got?" asked Danny. She brushed some hair from her eyes and shook her head. "Nah, if I do that I'll lose the signal to the TARDIS. The quicker we get back, the quicker I can heal myself in the med bay" explained Hope.

They walked for five more minutes. The sonic continued to beep, high pitched and grating. Her whole lower leg, from her toes to her knee, felt like it was on fire, and her vision kept blurring. Hope focused with difficulty on the hand gripping her sonic, and noticed that it was imperceptibly trembling. "Sis, are you okay? You're shivering" said Danny. How could she be shivering? She was so hot…it was so damn hot in this jungle... Hope stumbled over a rock.

"Ugh…I don't…I don't feel so good" she muttered, groaning. Then she let go of Danny's hand and ordered him to "stay right there", before staggering over to a tree and vomiting behind it. _That spider would have to be poisonous….I hate spiders _she thought bitterly. Very slowly, Hope slid down the trunk of the tree and sat between two buttress roots. With shaking hands, she changed the setting on her sonic and scanned herself. As she waited for it to show a result, she gave her little brother a weak smile.

According to her sonic screwdriver, the venom from the spider bite was deadly to humans. Her hearts nearly stopped at that information…if she didn't cure herself…she might regenerate. What if she became someone she didn't like? What if she became someone _Anthony _didn't like? "Dan…help me up. We've gotta get back home _fast_" she sighed.

They limped through the forest, Danny looking all around for signs of trouble (or rescue) and Hope just trying to stay on her feet. At last they came out onto the dirt track. "TARDIS is…just up…" Hope barely managed to gasp out before her knees buckled and she collapsed. "Hope!" Danny yelled fearfully, heaving his big sister onto her back. Hope's eyes were shut and she looked a rather sickly green colour. "Hope? Hope, wake up! Come on, Hope-huh?" he gasped, looking up.

He could hear a vehicle, barrelling towards them up the track. There was a rise up ahead, and if the vehicle came over it they might not see Hope or Danny until it was too late. Danny ran down the rough path until he could see a prism shaped truck of sorts, with spherical wheels and a blacked out mirror. "Wait!" he called out. "Stop, please!"

The truck continued to trundle towards him, and for a terrifying moment Danny thought it would run him over…but then it slowed down and came to a stop a few feet in front of him. A short, brown haired man dressed in dirty navy overalls got out of the driver's seat. "Hey, kid, what're you doing out here? Who are you?" he asked, his breath smelling of garlic. "I'm Danny, and my sister's really sick, you gotta help her!" exclaimed Danny, grabbing the edge of the man's shirt and pulling him along.

Danny led the man back to Hope, who was still lying unconscious on the path. "What happened? How did you even get out here?" the man asked as he checked Hope's pulse. "In my mum and dad's ship…I went off when I shouldn't have, and Hope came to find me but she got bitten by a spider…is she gonna be okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Depends on what kind of spider it was that bit her. I don't suppose you saw what it looked like?" the man inquired. Danny shook his head helplessly. "_Teal_…" Hope gasped without opening her eyes. "_No markings, just teal blue" _she whispered. The man grimaced for a moment before making his face blank, but Danny noticed. "What's wrong? Are teal spiders deadly?" he asked, tears springing to his eyes. This was all his fault; this would never have happened if he'd just stayed put!

The man heaved Hope into his arms. "You two are coming back to the compound with me. There are medics there that might be able to do something for your sister. Oh, and my name's Rich by the way" he explained, carrying Hope to the vehicle. Danny climbed in with her. The inside of the vehicle was Spartan, with two seats facing one way, two seats facing the other and a narrow bunk on the wall opposite the doors. "Oh, a double-engine all terrain transport module. Cool" Danny commented, albeit without his usual enthusiasm.

Rich was surprised the boy knew what he was sitting in, but brushed it off. He set off back to the compound, feeling sorry for the girl and her little brother. _I kind of feel bad about giving the kid false hope, but who'd want to hear the truth? His sister…she's doomed. _


	11. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Hope's First Regeneration Part Two

The Doctor and Anna picked up Hope's signal and returned to the TARDIS. Once inside the time machine, to their consternation, their children were nowhere in sight. Anna opened her connection to the remainder of her soul still within the TARDIS, searching the infinite interior much faster than a scan would. "They're nowhere on board" she said after fifteen seconds or so, the anxiety she felt evident in her tone.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves" the Doctor cautioned, "they might still be making their way back" he pointed out, when he felt a faint tickle on his mental walls. Lowering them, he reached out and heard Danny's weak mental voice calling to him. _Hope's hurt! A teal spider bit her on the ankle. We're going to a compound_ was the message. _What compound? _Asked the Doctor, but the mental connection had been lost.

Making a mental note to teach his son proper telepathy, the Doctor turned to Anna. "Hope is hurt because of a bite from a teal blue spider and she and Danny are going to a compound of some sort. You scan for any buildings nearby whilst I research this blue spider". The two parents went to their work immediately, and it wasn't long before both of them had definitive results. "There's a medical research facility about a mile to the west of here. The drugs they're testing are being designed for schizophrenia; they have patients there with the condition, so security is tight" Anna told the Doctor.

The grim expression on the Time Lord's face worried her more than anything so far. "What is it?" she asked, fearing the worst. "We're on the planet Zoula; most of the fauna here are insects. _Vaskas Aranea, _the teal spider, kills its victims with a paralytic poison that stops all muscles, including those needed for breathing and the heartbeat. Even though it's a tiny spider, not much more than half a centimetre, its poison is deadly no matter the size of the victim" he explained.

"Is it deadly to Time Lords?" Anna asked urgently. The Doctor hesitated, and then gave her the bad news. "Hope has one, very slim chance. The poison spreads from the bite, and Danny said she was bitten on the ankle. So she'll stop breathing, but her respiratory bypass system will kick in. The poison will stop one of her hearts- the regeneration has to trigger at that point or she'll…" the Doctor couldn't bring himself to finish.

Anna's eyes filled with tears. "She's so _young_, too young…what if she doesn't have enough energy? Oh, Thief" she sobbed. The Doctor put his hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry, Anna" he said, gently but firmly. "Hope will pull through. Our daughter is strong, she's the Hero of the Universe". Anna smiled at the nickname. "We've explained regeneration to Danny, as long as he keeps his head, he'll keep his sister safe" the Doctor said confidently.

/

Danny held his sister's hand and tried to ignore the horrid hollow feeling in his chest. He remembered asking his mum once why dad looked so sad sometimes. She'd told him his dad had lived a very long time, and had been forced to do some bad things that he felt guilty about. If feeling like your hearts weren't there was what guilt felt like, then his poor dad must feel like this a lot.

Rich noticed the boy sniffling and offered him a crumpled but clean tissue. Danny took it and blew his nose. "Don't beat yourself up, kid. It ain't your fault" said Rich. "But it is. I wandered off, and I'm not supposed to. If I hadn't done that she wouldn't have had to come looking for me and she wouldn't have got poisoned" replied Danny.

"You and your folks, you were going to explore the jungle, right?" asked Rich. Danny nodded. "So your sister might have got bitten by the teal spider whilst you were all exploring. Or your mum or dad or you, you didn't have anything to do with her getting bitten" Rich rationalised. The boy seemed to accept the logic in this. "I guess…I'm going to try contacting my dad" he decided, before pressing his fingers to his temples and screwing his face up in concentration.

Rich wondered what the boy was doing, but he had to keep an eye on the road, if you could call it a road. After about five minutes Danny said "I can't do it anymore. My dad says 'what compound?'" he informed Rich, who replied, "well, I say compound…its official name is the Zoula Mental and Medical Research Facility. They've got all sorts of medicines…one of 'ems bound to cure your sister".

Despite his youth, Danny wasn't oblivious; he'd noticed Rich's grimace when Hope had told him the spider was teal blue, and he hadn't forgotten it. Danny bet his model spaceship that they either didn't have a cure for that poison, or that it had to be given straight away and it was now too late. He prayed that it wasn't; he didn't want to lose his big sister, she teased him all the time but she always stood up for him.

/

Whilst Anna piloted the TARDIS to the facility, using her connection to the time machine to make the ride smoother than normal, the Doctor tried to make contact with Danny. At last he heard his son's mental voice weakly answering his stronger telepathy. _Danny, listen carefully. Hope might regenerate. When you reach the facility, make sure she's put in a room that's shielded from as many kinds of background radiation as possible. And make sure nobody is in the room, including yourself, when she regenerates _he instructed.

After twelve terribly long seconds, he heard Danny reply, _I will dad, I won't let you down_. He could tell his son felt guilty about wandering off, and decided not to punish him. The poor boy was going through enough. "Are we there yet?" he asked Anna. She twisted several knobs and frowned at the Time Rotor. "Something's wrong…you did change the thermo-couplings yesterday, didn't you?" she asked him. His embarrassed expression told her that he'd forgotten. "Oh dear" she sighed.

/

When they finally reached the facility, Rich carried Hope into the building whilst Danny hurried along at his heels. "Richard, who are they?" asked a stern looking woman in a white lab coat, her black hair tied in a bun. "Hope and Danny Smith, they came on that spacecraft we detected. The girl's been bitten by a teal" explained Rich. No flicker of pity crossed the woman's face. "Put her in a spare room. Her brother can stay with her until it's over if he wants, as long as he's out the way" she ordered.

"Until what's over?" asked Danny, speaking for the first time. "You're going to heal her, aren't you?" he inquired, looking up at the adults with a worried frown. The woman raised her eyebrows at Rich, who shrugged. "I didn't have the heart" he muttered, starting to carry Hope off. The woman put her hand on Danny's shoulder and said bluntly "I'm afraid your sister isn't going to make it. The teal spider is poison and we don't have a cure synthesised yet. I'm sorry" she said, not sounding very sorry at all.

Danny ran off after Rich. Once he'd placed Hope on a bed in one of the empty patients rooms, Rich made to leave, but Danny blocked his way. "Rich, she can't stay here. She has to be somewhere shielded, from radiation…is there anywhere like that here?" he asked urgently. Rich gave him a pitying look. "I'm sorry kid, that I lied to you and about your sister…but there's nothing we can do for her" he said. "Yes you can! Put her somewhere shielded, trust me, it'll work!" Danny insisted.

"How will it work? You tell me how putting her in a room like that will help her, and I'll do it" Rich said firmly. Danny hesitated, but he couldn't waste time concocting a lie, so he just came out with the truth. "Our family are all Time Lords, we're the only ones left. We can do this thing, where if we're dying we can heal ourselves. But this is Hope's first time and she needs to be somewhere shielded or it might go wrong" he explained hurriedly.

Hope stirred and mumbled, "Danny?" He hurried over and looked down into his sister's eyes. Her hand twitched and he took hold of it. She smiled. "You're a great brother. I love you champ" she murmured. "I love you too. Hope, you gotta be okay!" Danny begged. Hope's eyes slipped closed…

/

A/N: Dun, dun, dun! I was going to have just one chapter left, but it got away from me, so you'll have to wait for the final instalment. Until then, vworp on!


	12. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

Hope's First Regeneration Part Three

Danny turned to Rich with his eyes filled with tears. "Please, you gotta help her!" he pleaded, tears streaking down his cheeks, trying to shake his sister awake. "Hey, hey, don't cry. Okay, um….there is a room we keep the more err, _lively _patients. It's the most secure and quiet place in the facility. Only trouble is, it's on the other side of the complex. Come on, we've gotta hurry" Rich explained as he lifted Hope back into his arms and carried her out of the room.

Her brother had to run to keep up with the taller man's long strides. Rich ignored everyone who tried to stop him, simply stating it was an emergency whenever they were waylaid and shoving his way past. He knew it was only a matter of time before Hope stopped breathing. At long last they reached the secure room at the other end of the facility. Rich gingerly placed Hope in the middle of the padded white room, taking off his coat and using it to support her head.

"We can't stay with her" Danny said miserably. He wanted to make sure his sister would be okay, but he knew the regeneration energy was dangerous. He and Rich left the room and shut the door. "Now we wait for…Rich? How long does the poison normally take to…to kill someone…?" Danny asked nervously. Rich ran a hand through his hair. "An hour at least. It took us about twenty five minutes to get the compound from where I found you, another twenty minutes to reach the room here…if she was bitten five minutes or so before I found you, she has about…ten minutes left".

Ten minutes. The longest ten minutes of his life, Danny felt. He wished his mum and dad were here.

/

The once calm flight ended as the TARDIS began to rumble and shake. "It's no good, we'll never fly spatially without thermo-couplings!" snapped Anna. She wasn't normally this high strung; but her two children weren't there and her eldest could be on the verge of regenerating or even _dying, _so she had an excuse. "We'll have to jump into the future; about an hour should do it" said the Doctor, and Anna glared at him. "If we don't get there in time I am _never _speaking to you again!" she threatened.

The TARDIS leapt forwards an hour into the future, landing in the corridor in which Danny and Rich waited anxiously. Rich was startled by the sudden appearance and strange noise of the police box. Danny on the other hand, jumped to his feet with a cry of delight and rushed towards it. A middle aged blonde woman exited the incongruous structure and scooped the boy into her arms. She was followed by a slightly older man who shared Danny's light brown curls.

"I'm sorry mum, I'm sorry dad" Danny apologised. "You should be" the Doctor said sternly, and then added in a gentler voice "but your mother and I are very glad you're safe. Is your sister in that room?" he asked, pointing. Danny nodded. "Rich helped me" he announced. "We can't thank you enough for looking after our children" Anna thanked him gratefully. "Oh, it was nothing, ma'am…but I'm afraid the hour is up" he said apologetically.

They all looked at the door, crossing their fingers and holding their breaths. For ten terrible, dragging seconds, nothing happened. Then orange gold light illuminated the outline of the door, bright as a star. Danny jumped up and down, whooping. The Doctor punched the air. Anna burst into tears of joy, and Rich simply stared in bewilderment. When the light died away, Danny ran up to the door and called through it. "Hope, are you okay? Can you hear me?"

A few moments later, an unfamiliar voice replied "Yeah…my head is _killing _me. Why is everything scorched…oh. Huh, hair's different…..whoa! Okay, steering's off. Just…stand back". Danny retreated to stand beside his anxious parents. "Um, it's push to open" Rich called helpfully. There was a pause. "Thanks". At last the door swung open and Hope stepped out, steadying herself against the doorjambs.

However, it wasn't the Hope they knew. Gone was the tanned skin, replaced with a paler pink shade. Her clothes were slightly tattered and a bit too small, since she'd grown an inch or so. Her hair definitely was different; rather than curly and chocolate brown, it was blonde and straight, falling past her shoulders. Her nose was more snubbed, her lips were fuller, and her eyes were a light brown colour. "I look ridiculous, don't I?" she asked.

Anna smiled in relief and came forward. "Not at all, you look beautiful" she assured her daughter, who grinned and wobbled. "Come on. Let's get you into a proper Zero room" said the Doctor. Hope paused and looked at her brother. "So what do you think, champ? Good different or bad different?" she inquired. Danny regarded her with his head cocked to one side. "We don't look alike anymore" he said wistfully, "but that's okay. I'll just make sure I'm blonde and brown eyed when I regenerate".

"Which will not be for an extremely long time, now will it?" Anna said sternly. Hope turned to Rich and held out her hand to shake. He took it, still a little stunned. "Thanks for all the help. And err, sorry I burnt your room" she said sheepishly, before following her father into the TARDIS. Rich watched the time machine dematerialise, shaking his head in disbelief. Then he looked inside the room….and saw what Hope meant. There was a scorch mark in the shape of a body on the floor. He sighed and went to go find a mop.

/

Anthony was coming out of the shower when his phone trilled. He checked the message, and when he saw who it was from, he dried off and dressed more quickly than he'd ever done in his life. "Just going to see Hope, see you later!" he called to his parents somewhere in the house as he left it and ran to the school gates that had become their default meeting spot. When he reached the gates, however, Hope was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, a tall blonde girl waved to him. Anthony remembered suddenly, what Hope's species could do when they were dying…he ran up to her and took her hands. "Hope?" he asked uncertainly. "Hey. I thought you'd like to see the new me" she explained. Anthony stepped back just a little and looked her up and down. Her eyes were light brown and more oval, not the deep blue pools he remembered, but they still looked as bright and adventurous as before.

Her clothes were different as well. Instead of trainers she wore black ankle boots with silver buckles. With these she wore TARDIS blue jeans with a thin black belt, a light brown and grey pinstriped shirt and a brown fringed jacket that looked like it belonged to a pilot. "You look…you look awesome. I mean, different, but yeah, awesome" he said awkwardly. Hope smirked. "Awesome…I like the sound of that. You don't look too bad yourself, even if your shirt is inside out", she giggled, and linked her arm with his.

"Let's go for a pizza" she suggested as they walked down the street. "We can get a ham and pineapple, I'll have the ham and you have the pineapple. I hate pineapple now. Used to love it, now I hate it. But I used to hate the taste of smoky bacon crisps and now I can't get enough of them" she revealed. Anthony listened patiently as Hope described which foods she now liked and which ones she now couldn't stand. It would take a while to get used to this new Hope; he wondered if her talkativeness was a side effect of regeneration. "What happened?" he asked when she stopped for breath.

Hope shrugged. "It's daft, really. I got bitten by a tiny alien poisonous spider. I don't exactly remember it that clearly; my dad says that's normal though. He once regenerated because of a giant radioactive spider" she explained. Then she bit her lip and looked at Anthony. "Do you mind that I changed? Cos I still feel the same. I still love you" she admitted. Anthony stopped and faced her properly.

"Everyone changes…okay, granted not everyone changes _bodies_, but you're still the same Hope inside. So yeah, I still love you too" he replied. Hope beamed, and then pulled him in for a kiss. Well, one thing was for sure. This new Hope was just as good of a kisser as her first incarnation had been.

/

A/N: Well that's it folks! The final part of 'Hope's First'. Twelve chapters and twenty five 'firsts'. Thank you to everyone who favourited, followed and reviewed. I hope you all enjoyed reading about Hope growing up, as much as I enjoyed writing about it.


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